Stormy Seas
by CUtopia
Summary: Royal Navy!AU - The relationship of Commander Severus Snape and Lieutenant Commander Rolanda Hooch is coming into stormy seas as they are posted onto the same ship, the HMS Westminster.


Entry for the _Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition_ Round 12 – Wigtown Wanderers vs Kenmare Kestrels

Write a story about your OTP that has an UNHAPPY ENDING

Entry for the _Writing Club_ at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

 **Prompt:** Ship's Log

Entry for the _September Event: Back To School_

(word) Breakfast

(dialogue) "You just suck the fun out of everything." / "I do not!" / "Fun-sucker."

Entry for the _Greek Mythology Competition_

 **Antilochus:** Write about a sacrifice

Entry for the _Andrea Gibson Quote Competition_

 **Quote:** "Bravery cannot be measured by lack of fear. It takes guts to tremble. It takes so much tremble to love."

Entry for the _Gringotts Prompt Bank_

Thanks a lot to my fellow Wanderers, Emily and FF, who betaed this for me! :)

(3000 Words)

* * *

 **Stormy Seas**

It was a quiet, sunny Monday morning in Portsmouth; it was already warm enough to sit on the terrace so early, despite a strong breeze from the ocean, and the birds were chirping joyfully as Severus Snape stepped outside, buttoning the upper half of his uniform shirt. Before sitting down, he pressed a gentle kiss on the cheek of his girlfriend Rolanda Hooch, who gave him a cheeky smile and poured some coffee into his Navy mug.

"I'm really going to miss you," Severus said after his first toast, sounding as casual as always. It wasn't like him to show much emotion, and in the three months of their relationship, Rolanda had gotten used to it. She'd simply learned to interpret his body language and his words, able to seek a lot of information out of those.

"You'll be too busy chasing pirates to miss me." Rolanda winked, leaning back in her garden chair and sipping her tea. "But that doesn't mean that you can't think of me when you got a spare minute."

They exchanged smiles before they both fell silent, concentrating on their last breakfast together for about half a year. Severus was scheduled to leave for the Indian Ocean that morning to take part in the Atalanta Operation off the coast of Somalia, and those deployments usually lasted at least six months.

However, Rolanda and he didn't have such a big problem with that – as she was a Navy officer as well, Rolanda was used to long absences too, and they both didn't expect it to be difficult for them.

As she herself would be busy with getting used to her new position – she'd recently been promoted and would be receiving her first post as Executive Officer aboard a frigate – they felt like time would pass a lot faster for them until they would be reunited. They'd known that it would be like that one day, with one of them across the world, and had prepared themselves.

After his second cup of coffee, Severus threw a quick glance to his watch and declared: "I think I'll leave now, so I can have a relaxed inspection of the ship before we depart."

Rolanda followed him inside and watched how he pulled his dress uniform jacket on, twirling his cap between her fingers before she set it on his head with playful smile. Severus grabbed his duffle bag with his left and Rolanda with his right hand, pulling her in for a last kiss before whispering: "I love you. I'll write."

"See you. Have fun, Commander!"

"You too, Lieutenant Commander! Behave yourself."

OoO

 _Ship's Log_

 _HMS Westminster, Monday 12_ _th_ _September, 0905, Portsmouth_

 _Commander Severus Snape, (CO)_

 _Low Tide_

 _Wind 13 Knots from South-East_

 _Waves approximately 1.5 meters_

 _Weather: cloudless_

 _Air temperature 20 degrees Celsius_

 _Forecast: increasing wind by Biskaya with waves around 3 meters; rain around late afternoon_

 _Scheduled departure time: 1100_

 _189 of 190 crew members are on board, we are only waiting for our new XO – Lieutenant Commander Quinn has reported illness early this morning, and we are receiving a replacement soon. A delay is not expected to occur._

 _Ship has been inspected, all clear for the travel to our operation area, fuel and supplies are currently being bunkered._

A firm knock on the door of his cabin distracted Severus from the notes he was currently making.

"Enter," he snarled in his usual harsh tone, but his neutral expression immediately slipped from his face as he saw who stood in the doorframe.

"Lieutenant Commander Hooch reporting for duty, Sir."

Rolanda closed the door behind her after saluting; normally she would have grinned about his expression of utter surprise and confusion, but today, her face remained tense and serious. Severus needed a few moments to gather himself; taking a deep breath, he asked: "What are you doing here, Rolanda?"

"I was assigned here as replacement of Lieutenant Commander Quinn," Rolanda explained curtly, handing over a folder that she'd been holding in her left hand. Upon opening it and reading the documents inside, Severus gulped – she was right, the order of Fleet Command said that she was his new Executive Officer.

Rolanda watched him in silence, seeing how a thousand thoughts rushed through his mind at once. She too saw the difficulty in this situation, of course – they weren't supposed to be on the same ship. Navy regulations prohibited relationships between officers in the same chain of command, and until this day, they hadn't been in that red zone. Their relationship had been a secret, as Severus was a really private man and Rolanda didn't want anyone to think that she hadn't reached her current position through hard work.

And now, they had a serious problem.

Clearing her throat loudly, Rolanda asked: "Permission to speak freely, Sir?"

It was odd for her to address the man she loved in such a way, but especially in this situation she felt like the correct form was important. Severus, running a hand through his short, black hair, gestured her to continue while leaning back, showing the faintest trace of stress on his face.

"I think we should just make the best out of this. You need an Executive Officer, I am one. We are both adults and professional officers, I'm positive that we can manage this difficult situation."

"If anybody finds out, both our careers go down the drain," Severus remarked, looking her in the eyes with a serious expression. He slowly seemed to be recovering from the initial shock – his back was straightening and he looked like the competent commander that mastered every situation again.

"If, that is. You're the best person to keep such a secret, and it would also delay your departure to call Fleet Command and demand a replacement for the replacement! This isn't ideal for me either, believe me, but I don't think we have any choice," Rolanda replied with determination in her voice.

Severus pursed his lips for a short moment, looking deep in thought, and Rolanda assured him: "On board, you will be Commander Snape and I will be Commander Hooch, nothing more. Trust me, we can do this."

For a moment she was convinced that Severus would decline, but then he sighed, gestured around with his left hand and answered: "Well, good, let's try. I guess I should welcome you on board the _Westminster_."

OoO

 _Ship's Log_

 _HMS Westminster, Saturday 17_ _th_ _September, 1100, 38°33'02.8"N 14°40'23.1"W_

 _Commander Severus Snape, (CO)_

 _Wind 35 Knots from North-West_

 _Waves approximately 4 to 5 meters_

 _Weather: storm, heavy rain_

 _Air temperature 10 degrees Celsius_

 _Forecast: Wind around 20 Knots, drizzle, cloudy in the evening_

 _Storm off the coast of Portugal, two crewmembers lightly injured by the increasing rolling of the ship, scheduled man overboard drill postponed. Fire drill conducted according to schedule, situation successfully mastered by all crewmembers._

 _Lieutenant Commander Hooch proved in the last days that she is a capable XO and has already earned the respect of the crew._

Rolanda smiled into the round as she entered the Officer's Mess and took her 'HMS Westminster' base cap off, revealing a small cut on her forehead that had been treated with a few thin plaster strips. She'd hit her head on a doorframe earlier when the ship had been moved by an especially high wave during the fire drill, but she was already feeling fit again.

"Gentlemen." she nodded at Severus and their Chief Engineer, adjusting her onboard uniform before sitting down with her plate of salad. The ship was still rolling on the waves, and as Rolanda unrolled her cutlery from her napkin, her plate started to slide over the table.

Casually grabbing it with two fingers and pulling it back towards her, she said: "I don't know about you, but I like storms, even if they result in minor injuries."

She gestured at her forehead and winked, causing the Chief Engineer to grin as well. Severus just ate silently, his face the unmoving mask that Rolanda was used to, but she could feel his gaze on her.

"Really? I'm not really fond of storms – I prefer sun, an ocean as flat as a mirror and a light breeze," the Chief replied, emptying his mug and standing up, having finished his lunch.

"But aren't those storms you don't expect the most exciting?" Rolanda inquired, a cheeky grin on her lips as she focussed more on Severus than the Chief. "I've always had a thing for unexpected and mysterious things."

"XO, did the ship's doctor clear you for duty? Maybe you need rest," Severus barged in sharply while the Chief made his way to the door, not seeing how Rolanda's expression turned from cheeky to flirty.

Her voice sounded normal though as she answered: "It's only a scratch, Sir, no need to worry. I'll have the Dog's Watch as scheduled."

The door closed behind the Chief and Severus immediately jumped to his feet and circled the table, his face darkening as he came face to face with Rolanda.  
"You flirted with me! In front of a fellow officer!" he hissed, as if he was afraid that someone could hear them through the door.

Rolanda rolled her eyes, returning his gaze with the same intensity – she wasn't someone to back down, not even in front of him who could be so intimidating.

"Oh come on, as if he would have caught that. It was a small joke to lighten my mood, nothing more. You just suck the fun out of everything, Severus," Rolanda shot back, pointing her finger at his chest.

"I do not!" he stated stiffly, his jaw tightening while he crossed his arms in front of his chest. He was over-reacting slightly, and he probably knew it, but of course he didn't want to admit that.

"Fun-sucker. Why don't you allow me a little hidden joke here and there, after all we've been functioning very well as command duo so far."

He looked annoyed about how good her arguments were, and he sounded slightly contrite as he said: "I do have to admit that there was no time whatsoever in which you weren't completely professional. You mostly satisfy all the expectations I have in my Executive Officer."

Rolanda cocked an eyebrow, leaned forward so her lips were right next to his ear and whispered cockily: "Mostly? Be careful, or this might sound like a compliment, my love!"

OoO

 _Ship's Log_

 _HMS Westminster, Sunday 25_ _th_ _September, 1400, 11°40'10.1"N 53°23'28.5"E_

 _Lieutenant Commander Rolanda Hooch, (XO)_

 _Wind 8 Knots from South_

 _Waves 0.5 Meters_

 _Weather: Sunny, cloudless, humid_

 _Air temperature 28 degrees Celsius_

 _Forecast: Stronger winds in the evening_

 _In the morning, the crew successfully completed a man overboard drill. At 1330, we received a distress call from the Grete Maersk, sailing an opposite course around 13 nautical miles south from our position. The captain reported that they are being attacked by two speedboats; we are currently running towards their position with 25 knots._

"Sir, we have a contact, 350 yards in front of our port bow!" Rolanda exclaimed, staring through her binoculars and waiting for more orders. She was standing on the portside bridge wing, wearing a bulletproof vest over her uniform; armed posts were positioned right next to her.

"Roger. Order them to stop or heave to via exterior loud speakers," Severus ordered curtly, directing his words towards one of the translators they had on board for this mission. Only a minute later, said order was echoing over the surface of the sea in Arabic.

"Sir, they're changing their course!"

Through her binoculars Rolanda could see how both speedboats were distancing themselves from the containership and she already smiled in triumph when she suddenly realised something that caused her eyes to widen.

"Sir, the speedboats are heading directly towards us!" she reported, barely able to keep the panic from showing too much in her voice.

Severus now grabbed his binoculars as well, looking through the front windows of the bridge and grumbling: "What do they think they are going to do against a frigate with their AK-74s?! This is ridiculous. Marksmen, charge! Abdul, order them to stop, or we will fire upon them."

Rolanda's whole body was tensing as the boats didn't stop after the order had been repeated several times. Her heart was beating hard in her chest and her knuckles were white from holding on to the binoculars so strongly. Just as Severus, she couldn't believe that this was truly happening, that the pirates were trying to attack a heavily armed ship of the Royal Navy, but she saw it with her own eyes.

"Marksman! One shot four yards across their bow!" she yelled, her voice slightly shaky, and shock coursed through her body as the pirates answered in the same way.

Bullets whizzed through the air all around her, hitting the steel next to her, and she ducked, biting her lip as a burning pain shot through her left arm and an invisible force caused her to collapse onto the steel deck. Grinding a growl of pain out, she grabbed the part of her arm where the pain was coming from, feeling something damp and warm flow over her fingers. She slowly realised that she had been shot, and she forced herself to focus, not wanting to be reduced to a useless crewmember.

Blinking a few times, she pushed herself out of the slight daze the pain had caused, only to see Severus' dark eyes stare at her in shock.

"Sir, what shall we do now? Sir!" the Buffer was exclaiming, but to Rolanda's surprise, Severus wasn't reacting. He seemed frozen into place, and looked as if everything around him had disappeared; the only thing he seemed to be able to see was her, and the blood that was running down her arm.

Jumping to her feet, she kept her head low to avoid any more bullets to hit her and ordered with a loud, determined voice: "Load the 30 millimeter gun! Starboard 20, prepare the boarding team! And call a medic to the bridge!"

Only now had she seen that she wasn't the only one that had been injured, and she tried to think of several things at the same time.

"Starboard 20!"

"Now midships!"

"Midships, Ma'am!"

The next minutes seemed to pass in a blur; with a rapid maneuver, Rolanda brought the ship into a position in which the marksmen had an easier aim at the pirates. Since they had already shot at the frigate, they had proved to be an immediate danger to the whole crew, thus more drastic measures were justified. And Rolanda was determined to not let them get away.

OoO

 _Ship's Log_

 _HMS Westminster, Monday 26_ _th_ _September, 1100, 5°18'40.9"N 56°14'05.2"E_

 _Commander Severus Snape, (CO)_

 _Wind 9 Knots from East_

 _Waves about 0.5 Meters_

 _Weather: sunny_

 _Air temperature 30 degrees Celsius_

 _Forecast: no weather change_

 _We are currently sailing towards the Seychelles to commit the arrested pirates to the authorities. Four of five injured crewmembers were released from sickbay this morning. Minor repairs have been completed following damages caused during the attack._

Rolanda looked up from her book as she heard a knock on her cabin door; due to her injury, she was off duty currently, and would be at least for another two days. As she opened, she wasn't particularly surprised to see Severus, looking slightly nervous. She wordlessly let him in and sat down on her bed, waiting until he started to speak.

"I… I'm here to talk about what happened yesterday, during the attack. My behaviour… it was completely unprofessional and endangered the whole crew, and all of that because I'm too emotionally involved," Severus explained, sounding a lot less confident than usually. His expression was neutral, but she could tell that he was agitated.

"If you want me to transfer -" she began, but Severus shook his head, gesturing for her to let him explain.

"No, I don't want you to leave the _Westminster_ , Ro, I just… I think we should end our relationship."

"What?" Rolanda whispered, confused by what he was saying.

"I don't feel like I can concentrate on the job while having in the back of my mind that you're my girlfriend. I need emotional distance, I need to be able to tell myself that I won't feel twice the guilt when you are injured. I'm not brave enough for that."

Rolanda blinked a few times and cleared her throat, feeling a little bit dizzy as his words started to sink in.

"You're telling me you're breaking up with me because you can cope with me as your fellow officer being injured, but not with me as your comrade and girlfriend? I'm a little bit puzzled, to be honest."

"I don't expect you to understand that right now, I'm-"

"You're a complicated man, I know, Severus," Rolanda interrupted him, nodding faintly. "I just never would have thought that it would end like this."

"I love you too much," Severus mumbled, and only now did Rolanda notice that he'd kept as much distance between them as possible in her small cabin. "It's complicated."

"I… I don't know if I'm supposed to feel flattered or heartbroken."

"I'm trying to do what is right for both of us, and logically seen, this post is important for both of our careers. I don't want anything to keep you from progressing, and I fear that I came close to revealing what kind of relationship we were secretly having. I always worried that you might be the one potentially doing this, but it seems like _I_ am the weak link. XO, I hope you'll be back on duty soon, you're missed on the bridge."

With that, he turned around on his heel and left her cabin, leaving Rolanda sitting on her bed, tears gleaming in her eyes as she whispered: "Sir."


End file.
